In News Online

This Week's In News Online Spotlight

NEMO Equipment, Inc., manufacturer of tents, sleeping pads and backcountry accessories, has won a Gear Junkie's Best in Show award for its new ultralight sleeping pad, at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City. The Nashua firm developed for the sleeping pad, called Zor, to provide the optimal combination of weight and insulation with a lightweight foam.

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Harbor Homes, Inc. of Nashua received a $5,000 grant from BJ's Charitable Foundation in support of a critically needed program, the Harbor Care Clinic: Healthcare for the Homeless. The grant from BJ's Charitable Foundation will be used to help provide primary, preventive, and supplementary health care to adults experiencing homelessness in the greater Nashua area who would not normally have adequate access to such care.

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Elliot Health System in Manchester announced the addition of Carla Braveman, RN, M.Ed, CHCE, to the senior leadership team as the vice president, home, health, hospice and community services.

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Normandeau Associates, Inc. in Bedford acquired Pandion Systems, Inc., an environmental science, ecology, and communications company with expertise in avian and bat ecology, wildlife interactions with manmade structures, policy applications and public participation. The company, based in of Gainesville, Florida, is nationally known for its ReBAT technology, an integrated acoustic monitoring system for bats; and it is actively developing ATOM acoustic thermographic offshore monitoring for birds and bats.

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St. Mary's Bank, the Manchester-based credit union, appointed Bruce A. Winter to loan operations manager. In his new role, Winter will oversee all residential and retail loan underwriting, processing and servicing, as well as the secondary market portfolio.

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NGM Insurance Company, a lead insurer of The Main Street America Group, pledged $100,000 to the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits to support the development of a multi-dimensional online resource Web site for the NH nonprofit sector. NGM made the pledge through the Community Development Finance Authority's state tax credit program, which allows businesses to invest in projects which support community development. NGM is based in Concord.

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Ledyard Financial Group, Inc., the holding company for Ledyard National Bank in Hanover, added Margaret Rightmire to its board of directors on February 25. Rightmire is active in the community and serves as treasurer and chair of the finance committee at both the Montshire Museum of Science and Crossroads Academy.

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The Granite State Credit Union in Manchester is again lending its support to the Manchester Fire Department, by sponsoring the fire accelerant detection canine, Wynett.

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Fulcrum Associates, Inc. of Amherst, was selected by Great NH Restaurants Inc., owners of Cactus Jack's and T-Bones restaurants in Bedford, to build its newest dining venture "The Copper Door" in Bedford. The restaurant will be constructed as part of the Bedford Hills development at the intersection of Route 101 and Old Bedford Road. The new eatery is designed to fill a void between casual and fine dining in the Bedford market.

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Bottomline Technologies in Portsmouth is launching Inprotica, an interactive automation Web site for hospitals and health care organizations. Inprotica will speed up data transfer for clinical, financial and operational processes, helping health care organizations to achieve greater visibility, increase efficiencies, tighten security and meet compliance regulations.

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Professor Mary W. S. Wong of the University of New Hampshire School of Law in Durham was elected to serve as a vice chair of the council that manages generic domain name policy development at ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).

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Amanda Telford of Portsmouth launched a virtual and national meal planning company called Menu Masters, LLC. As a busy professional, she herself got tired of the stress of trying to figure out what's for dinner at the end of a busy day. She's now taking the problem of deciding "What's For Dinner" off people's plates by doing the thinking for them. Her new company will provide weekly menus, recipes, and even grocery lists.

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John Decker joined Kirk Communications in Portsmouth as creative director where he will head up TV, print, radio and web content production. Decker brings more than 30 years of advertising and copywriting experience. For the past decade, he has concentrated on Web content, search engine optimization and creating TV and radio commercials for local clients.  

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S.G. Davis Financial Group of Concord is partnering with J Maze Design for a new Web site aimed at providing visitors with useful information about the company and personal finances.

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The board of directors at the Children's Museum of New Hampshire, located in Dover, named Justine Roberts of Cambridge, Mass., as executive director. Roberts was chosen for the position following an extensive national search. She succeeds museum founder Denise Doleac, who resigned as executive director at the end of 2010.

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Upton & Hatfield, LLP, in Concord donated $1,000 to Dress for Success New Hampshire, a non-profit organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help them thrive in work and in life. Lauren Simon Irwin, who focuses her practice in employment disputes and civil litigation at Upton & Hatfield, has served as a board member, advisory board member and volunteer for Dress for Success NH since the late 1990s.

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Northeast Credit Union in Portsmouth is marking 75 years of service with a celebration at its annual member-owner meeting on Tuesday, March 22 at the Portsmouth Harbor Events Center at the Residence Inn by Marriott. The celebration kicks off at 6 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres and cash bar followed by a buffet dinner. The meeting portion of the evening will begin at 7:30. Members can purchase dinner tickets at any branch. The credit union started when 10 individual members, each subscribing to one share, established Portsmouth's U.S. Employees Federal Credit Union #1515. Since 1936, Northeast Credit Union has grown from its beginnings at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to eight additional branches including Concord, Dover, Exeter, Lee, Manchester, Northwood and Rochester.

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John Deere Landscapes, Inc. in Portsmouth has leased 9,000 square feet of retail and warehouse space at 300 Heritage Avenue, Portsmouth. The firm sells an array of irrigation, landscaping, lighting, and nursery products, as well as equipment manufactured by John Deere & Co.

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